In Another Life
by AzarathEstelle
Summary: When Barry's attempt to save Caitlin takes them out of their world, will they ever make it home again? Rated T to be safe. Possible Snowbarry. Possible Alex/Maxwell.


**Readers! This is my first Flash/Supergirl fanfic. If you're not up to date with either show, parts of this will be confusing. And read no further! Spoilers abound.**

 **A few things to note- This story will take place mainly on Earth 3- Kara's Earth- since Barry visited them in this order…we'll forget what Jay Garrett said in season 2's finale. This story begins 5 months after the finales of both shows. However, Barry hasn't gone back in time to save his mother; rather, the season ends after Iris and Barry talk- hold the kiss. In Supergirl's universe it's been 5 months since the defeat of Myriad, but no new pod crashes on Earth. Supergirl's just being Supergirl.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't take credit for anything regarding The Flash or Supergirl, just my own plot bunnies.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Central City, September 2016, Earth 1**

Never let it be said that one moment can't change a life.

Barry knew it better than anyone. In a moment his mother had been taken from him. In another, he had been struck by lightning. Nine months later he had woken up with the ability to streak through his city, then through time, and finally, universes.

In one moment, Zoom had taken his father from him for a second and final time.

The ache in Barry's chest was an ever-present reminder of the permanence of his father's absence. There would be no more jail visits, no way to see his face. His father was gone forever.

His duty to Central City was the only thing that kept him going. After defeating Zoom, he threw himself into both of his jobs with vigor. More often than not every waking moment was dedicated to saving his city in one way or another, until exhaustion would grant him the mercy of a dreamless sleep. Seeing his father impaled at the hands of Zoom once was one time too many.

It was nightmares of speedsters and vibrating hands plunging through the flesh of those he loved that drove Barry from his bed into the empty streets of Central City at 5 on a Saturday morning. The horizon glowed with the hues of early-bird trees that had fallen into autumn as Barry sped to S.T.A.R. labs. No one would be there at this hour, but he knew Caitlin would show up at 8 o'clock sharp, Saturday or no. Cisco would stumble in later in the day, tired but enthusiastic about whatever tech he was in the midst of creating. Out of everyone in his rather limited social circle, they heckled him the least about his recent workaholic tendencies. Neither of them could tell him to stop working when they didn't plan to. Being a superhero was a 24/7 hour job, after all.

Reaching S.T.A.R. labs, Barry slowed to a normal pace and entered the building, taking comfort in the gentle curves of the silver-tinted halls that had become so familiar to him. Barry found refuge in these quiet mornings. Here, in the silence of the sunrise with only the hum of machinery for company, he didn't have to act. He didn't have to paste on a smile for Joe or Iris to assure them that he was moving on. He didn't have to brush off Cisco's stumbled apologies when a joke seemed to hit too close to home. He didn't have to act like he was moving on from his grief just because the world felt it was time.

Caitlin was the only one who didn't feel the need to nudge him to move on. She seemed to understand his need to be left alone. He knew that when she arrived her morning greeting would be terse and lack the well-intentioned, but increasingly annoying "how are you". Instead, the clinking of glass beakers and lab equipment would join the chorus of machinery and she would leave him be.

Entering the monitoring centre, Barry bypassed the computers in favour for the training room. As he powered up the treadmill, he recalled a night shortly after his father's death when he'd been injured when plans to take down the latest bad guy had gone awry. Caitlin had silently fixed him up and he, frustrated and looking for a fight- _needing_ to win a fight- had tried to goad her into an argument.

 _"_ _You can say it you know," he snapped, as Caitlin prepped his shoulder to extract the bullet lodged there. At her silence, Barry continued. "I know you agree with the rest of them. You know I haven't been getting sleep and you think that I am a liability on the field because I don't have it all together-because of what happened to my dad. What happened to speaking your mind, Dr. Snow?" he taunted. "Not going to scold your favourite patient like you alwa-aagh!"_

 _Barry arched away from the pain that shot down his arm, but Caitlin had already removed the bullet, calmly placing it on the tray beside the bed. Ignoring his glare, Caitlin cleaned the wound and wrapped it tightly._

 _"_ _You'll be good in an hour or so," she said, pulling off her gloves and tossing them into the trash. He didn't respond, just continued to glare._

 _Sighing, she turned to the tray and began sterilizing the utensils she'd used. "When you woke up from your coma, I told you how I had lost Ronnie 9 months before. Everyone else expected me to be better than I was by then-they didn't have to say anything for me to know how they felt- but I wasn't ready. You barely knew me, but you were the only one that seemed to understand that I needed to heal at my own pace."_

 _Caitlin shelved the tray before turning back to him. Taking his hand, she met his gaze. "I'm here for you, Barry and I know_ you _know you can come to me for more than medical advice. So I'm not going to push what I think you need onto you. If you need to talk, I'm here. But if you need me to let you be, I'll do that too. For as long as it takes." Offering him a small smile, she gave his hand a squeeze. "I believe in you, Barry. I know you'll pull through on your own time."_

She'd left him to get dressed after that, and Barry, feeling oddly chastised, had never questioned her belief in him achieving normalcy again. Instead, he gratefully accepted her gift of quiet support and worked through his grief. Barry knew it wasn't time.

He wasn't ready. He didn't know how to be when the closure he'd achieved in the Speed Force had been snatched away so quickly.

Stepping onto the treadmill, he began to build up speed, gradually working to reach his limit. This afternoon he and the team were taking the tachyon accelerator for another test drive. In all the commotion following the initial test, he hadn't had the opportunity to tell them about his unintentional visit to Earth 3. Now, it didn't seem to matter. Their own world had enough problems, and he knew how to get back if he crossed the breach again.

Gritting his teeth he ran faster, pushing against his limit as the treadmill whirred madly beneath him. He had to get faster. The tachyon accelerator could only do so much. He had to be better, to be ready when the next challenge came. He wouldn't lose anyone else. He couldn't.

* * *

Barry ran well past Caitlin's arrival. Like clockwork, she had shown up exactly at 8 nursing a steaming cup of coffee. She'd shot him a quick smile through the window before retreating to her lab.

Glancing at the time, he noted that it was just past 10. Any energy he'd gained from his generous breakfast was long gone, even though he'd set a slow pace of 70km/h for the last 3 hours. As tempted as he was to continue the mindless task of putting one foot in front of the other, he knew he'd need to rest up for the tachyon test in the afternoon. And he needed to eat, he remembered, as his stomach rumbled in complaint. He could use a few of those protein bars right now. Cisco had said he'd make another batch.

After zipping downstairs to shower and change, Barry sped back upstairs to where Caitlin was working in her lab. Maybe she'd know if Cisco had cooked up any more bars. "Caitlin, do you-"

Caitlin spun on her lab stool, nearly toppling over in her haste, a strangled gasp escaping her throat. She sat frozen, eyes wide and unseeing as fear clouded her vision.

 _Shoot._

"Caitlin- Cait, hey, it's just me," Barry slowly knelt by her stool, arms outstretched. "It's Barry." Blinking, her eyes began to clear, recognition replacing the fear in their depths.

"Barry," she breathed.

Gently, he placed a hand on her knee. "Yeah. Yeah it's me. Just me." Closing her eyes, she took a fortifying breath. Now that he was closer, Barry could see the slight purple bruising under her eyes and the weariness in her posture. It seemed Zoom had invaded more than just his dreams last night. While Caitlin no longer seemed to envision him in the day, Zoom clearly still haunted her nights. Cursing his inattention, Barry vowed to be more observant before using his speed in the future.

"Sorry." She offered him a weak smile. "I…didn't exactly sleep well last night."

"You and me both," Barry replied with a bitter chuckle. "You good?" he asked, his thumb rubbing over her knee in a soothing gesture.

Giving him a small nod, she straightened. "Yes. You needed something?"

"Yeah," he stood. "Do you know if Cisco made any more energy bars? I could use a couple right now."

Caitlin tilted her head in thought. "He made some yesterday, I believe. He was tinkering with the tachyon accelerator too, so maybe check his workshop downstairs? I don't think they made it to the kitchen. You know how he gets when he's occupied with tech."

"Yeah, thanks." Barry turned to go.

"I'm leaving to get lunch soon- Big Belly Burger," Caitlin added. "Want me to get you anything? Those protein bars aren't meant to be your main course, you know."

"Yes, Dr. Snow, I know," he said with a teasing smile. "Please order whatever fatty goodness you prescribe."

"Oh, I want in on that fatty goodness!" Cisco ambled into the monitoring centre and fell into a chair, swirling to face them. "Three Big Belly Burgers please!"

Caitlin raised an eyebrow. "You know your metabolism isn't even _close_ to Barry's, right?"

"Hey, a man's got to eat- and this very distracted tech-savvy man probably won't be leaving S.T.A.R. labs for the rest of the day. Ergo, three Big Belly Burgers- one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner." Satisfied with his own logic, Cisco turned to his computers as Barry and Caitlin's shared fond smiles.

Barry's phone chirped from his back pocket. Pulling it out, he read the text as he made his way to the exit. "Alright guys, Joe needs me at the precinct for a bit, but I'll be back in time for the tachyon test." Both nodded distractedly, once again immersed in their work.

Streaking downstairs, Barry grabbed a few protein bars before speeding to the precinct. His real lunch would have to wait.

* * *

The C.C.P.D. was bustling with activity as Barry entered the main hall. Joe was seated at his desk, his gaze bouncing between his monitor and the file that lay before him. Briefly, Barry's gaze settled on the opposite desk where Patty once sat, a twinge of yearning twisting his gut. Who would have thought he would one day refer to those days as simpler times? So much had changed since then.

Shaking off the negative thoughts, Barry forced himself to focus on the present. "Joe. Hey. I got your message. Are we dealing with another metahuman?"

Joe ran a hand over his mouth, straightening in his seat. "No, just your regular human miscreant. We think he might be a copycat." He stood, snapping the file shut.

"A copycat?" Barry asked. "You think someone's trying to play metahuman?"

"Nope. Dollmaker." Gesturing for him to follow, Joe started up the steps to Barry's lab.

"There've been a couple of break-ins in the past few weeks. Random equipment and chemicals get stolen. The procedure is the same: guy bashes in the cameras, breaks any glass in his way, gets what he wants and leaves. I didn't think it could be a copycat until one of our guys mentioned the chemicals could be used to make a flexible polymer. Quentin mentioned the Dollmaker taking his daughter hostage when we went to dig up Wells last year. He used a polymer to suffocate the girls he dressed up. I got the file transferred and everything matches up."

Entering the lab, Joe handed Barry a small evidence bag and the file. "I swiped some prints I want you to look at. Run them through the database; see if you find any matches with anyone we're familiar with. I want to catch this guy before he kills someone."

Barry nodded, pulling on a pair of nitrile gloves. "I'll run them right now. I kept up with all of the people the Arrow put away-"

"Killed?" Joe interjected with raised brows. "You mean killed, right? Cause Mathis is six feet deep."

Barry chuckled. "Okay first of all- Oliver didn't kill him, the Black Canary did- and second, he's trying a different way now."

Joe scoffed. "So he says."

"He is," Barry insisted. "Anyway, I remember the Dollmaker picked his victims based on some kind of cream?"

"Yeah. Mermaiden Skin Cream. But no stores carry it in Coast City."

"He'll use something else then," Barry murmured, scanning over the file. "It says here ethylparaben and sodium laureth sulfate were key parts of the cream's formula. I'll get Cisco to run a scan and see if any creams sold in the city use a similar formula."

"Alright, let me know if you find anything," Joe said, clapping Barry's shoulder on his way to the door.

"Will do."

"Oh, and Barr?" Joe turned back. "You okay? You left early this morning."

Rolling his neck, Barry straightened. "Thought I'd get an early start. Couldn't sleep."

Joe gave him a knowing look. "You know I'm here if you need me, Barry."

Swallowing his annoyance, Barry offered Joe a small smile. He knew he meant well, even if the constant questioning got on his nerves. "Yeah, Joe. I know."

Joe stared at him a moment longer before sighing. "Alright then." He slapped the door frame twice. "Get to work!"

* * *

Caitlin tapped her fingers against her phone in her pocket impatiently. She'd been in the line at Big Belly Burger for 15 minutes.

The man in front of her had been ordering for 5 of them.

How many burgers could one man eat? He'd entered alone and judging by the motorcycle helmet in his hand no one else would be joining him. And yet, she'd heard mention of _five_ large combos.

Granted, she was about to order a dozen burgers for Barry, plus the three Cisco had requested, one for herself and fries to match. She'd gotten used to the odd looks-part of the reason why she bought drinks elsewhere. But Barry burned energy faster than a flame did bare wick. He needed to keep up his energy, especially on days like today when he'd be using so much of it.

 _His caloric intake is unbelievable. It's a wonder his stomach elasticity hasn't suffered from his meals-if you can call them that. More like routine feasts. His digestive system works so fast._

 _Come to think of it, everything must work that fast. Maybe we should start looking into how he'll age…or if he'll age…_

 _With cell renewal happening so fast, it's possible he may break the constraints of the natural age process, but if it were for the worst he would've shrivelled up and turned over like a dead fly by now._

 _It's all because of his caloric intake._

 _Come to think of it, if all of his digestive system works that fast, then that means in terms of….excretion…_

She blinked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. The scientist in her might wonder about such statistics, but Barry wasn't a lab rat she could be objective with. Certain areas of his dietary habits were off limits to her curiosity to save them both the embarrassment and her from…unnecessary imagery.

"Next!" the cashier called.

 _Finally!_

Caitlin placed her order as she fished her wallet from her purse, ignoring the indignant stare of the cashier and the exasperated groans from behind her. She blinked in surprise as her USB rose from her bag as well, hooked neatly onto the zipper of her wallet by its keyring. _How these things happen in messy bags, I'll never know._ Knowing she'd have to wait longer than the average customer, Caitlin paid and found a seat close to the counter to wait, freeing her USB from her wallet as she sat. She'd need its data to compare stats for the tachyon test.

Staring out the front window, Caitlin noted the oranges and yellows beginning to overtake the green leaves of the gnarled oak at the entrance. Nowadays it seemed she was too busy to notice the changing seasons or the passing of time. It was a relief in some ways.

Unconsciously, she rubbed at the base of her left ring finger. It had been over a year since Ronnie's death, but the habit persisted. At times she was still surprised to encounter warm flesh instead of smooth metal.

A bittersweet smile crossed her lips at the thought of the marriage license they had hurriedly signed before the singularity had ripped up the sky. They'd never gotten the chance to mail it. _All as well, seeing as I filled his death certificate right after that-for real this time._ Caitlin hadn't been able to bring herself to throw out the licence. Instead, it was framed in the cover of the large album her parents had given her in anticipation of her wedding before the particle accelerator exploded. It would be the only entry to the album for her wedding day.

 _Wedding hours, really,_ she thought. _I must hold the world record for world's shortest marriage- married and widowed before sunset._ Caitlin sighed. Losing Ronnie a second time had been devastating, but overtime the ache had faded some. She'd always love him, and she cherished the memories they'd made together as an engaged couple- and for a short few hours- as husband and wife. For all the pain she'd endured, she still could not regret those precious memories.

The short second chance they'd been given had brought her much clarity. She could still remember the conversation they'd had days before the singularity when everything had gone wrong. They'd been relaxing on her sofa on a rare night off.

 _Caitlin walked into the living room of her apartment, freshly changed into pajamas and more than ready for a lazy movie night. Golden rays of sunset snaked across the floor and gave the entire room a soft glow. She smiled as she spotted Ronnie slouched on her sofa, phone in hand._

 _"_ _Decided to drop in, did you?" Caitlin asked, reaching the sofa and leaning down for a kiss. He smiled against her lips._

 _"_ _Can't stay away for long. How was your day?"_

 _Caitlin flopped down onto the sofa with a groan, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his stomach. "Soooo tired."_

 _Ronnie chuckled, a hand winding through her auburn locks, the other resting at her waist. She sighed at the pleasant sensation, curling her knees closer to her chest._

 _"_ _That bad, huh?"_

 _"_ _Mmm, yeah," she murmured. Closing her eyes, she reveled in the moment, enjoying the quiet peace around her. As she listened to his steady breaths, Caitlin marveled at the second chance they had been given. Just months ago she'd thought him lost forever and now…_

 _Pulling back slightly, Caitlin propped her chin on his chest, staring up at him. "I'm really glad you're here."_

 _Ronnie studied her for a moment, before smiling and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Me too." He stroked her hair, his smile fading, his gaze contemplative. "Cait…what if I hadn't come back?"_

 _Sitting up, her brows scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

 _Ronnie straightened in his seat and turned to face her. "What if I really hadn't survived the night the particle accelerator exploded? What would have happened to you?"_

 _"_ _I…would have continued as I was before you came back, I guess." She smiled at his concern and laced her fingers with his. "I would have been okay, eventually."_

 _Looking down at their joined hands, Ronnie traced the sliver line of her engagement ring before meeting her gaze. "Would you have found someone else?"_

 _Caitlin tilted her head, searching his eyes. "Would you have wanted me to?"_

 _He looked out the window, jaw clenched, before letting his breath out in a huff. His thumb traced restless circles over her knuckles. Gently, she placed her other hand over his, stilling it._

 _"_ _Ronnie?"_

 _He faced her again, eyes tormented. "I never want to leave you, Cait," The crack in his voice tore at her heart. "But if I did, if I had to..." His free hand cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing across her silken skin. Letting out a sigh, he continued. "I'd want you to be happy, Caitlin. And, if you could, if it made you happy, then yes- yes, I would want you to find someone to spend your life with. Someone who'd love you just as much as I do. I wouldn't want you to keep yourself from happiness for a promise you made to a dead man."_

 _She nodded. "Okay."_

 _"_ _No," he took both her hands in his, a sudden anxiousness taking over him. "Promise me, Cait. Promise me that you'll never keep yourself from happiness if I'm gone."_

 _Confused by the desperation in his tone but wanting to appease him nonetheless, she met his eyes steadily. "Okay, Ronnie," she said. "I promise."_

Caitlin shivered at the memory. It was almost as if he'd known. Days later he'd been gone once again, and there'd be no coming back. Not this time.

"Ma'am?" The cashier called, heaving two large paper bags onto the counter. "Your order."

Caitlin hurried toward the counter, groaning inwardly as she noticed the dark oil stains already beginning to dampen the bottoms of the bags. Adjusting her purse on her shoulder, she heaved the two bags into her arms, supporting the bottom of each with a hand. _Please don't break, please don't break…_

Caitlin sighed in relief as an elderly woman entering the restaurant held the door open for her. Nodding her thanks, Caitlin rushed through the parking lot, noting the clouds gathering overhead. Hopefully it would clear up by the time they ran the tachyon test. Added factors would be an inconvenience at this point.

The oil from the bags began to lightly coat her fingertips. Pausing momentarily to adjust her grip, Caitlin doubled her pace to reach her car across the lot. "Next time I`ll find a stand-alone restaurant and not one that`s part of a huge plaza," she muttered. She had gotten to the restaurant in the middle of lunch hour and parking near the building had been full. She'd been forced to park near the fence on the edge of the property that separated the plaza from the highway.

Casting a weary glance up at the darkening sky, Caitlin adjusted her grip on their lunch once more, her fingers now saturated with oil. It looked like the storm could come soon. If she could make it to her car before the rain came, she might be able to save lunch. Greenery pushed through the black wired fence behind her car and formed a thin canopy overhead. Her fingers grasped for purchase as a bag began to slip. _Almost there...almost there…yes!_ Caitlin dumped the bags onto the roof of her silver sedan, digging out a napkin from one to wipe the grease from her fingers.

Scrubbing the last of the oil away, she jogged to a nearby garbage can and threw away the soiled napkin before beginning to search her purse for her keys. Peering into her bag, she sifted through the contents, watching for a glint of silver. _I should really stop just throwing them in-_

"Oh!" So lost was she in her search that she failed to notice the man in front of her until she walked into him. His hands settled on her forearms to halt her progress. "Sorry about that," she apologized, taking a step back.

A head taller than her, he stood before her thin and pale, his lips stretched into a rather unnerving grin. He shook his stringy brown hair from his eyes. "It's alright, doll," he drawled. " _That_ , however-" he gestured to the bags on the roof of her car, "That isn't alright. That junk will do your pretty skin no favors."

Alarm bells went off in her head. Twisting casually around him, she backed away to her car. "Oh, it's not all for me," she assured him with a shaky laugh. He turned with her, dark eyes tracking her retreat. "I could never eat all of that." Shoving her hand deep into her bag, she felt the cool slide of metal. Her keys! Hooking the keyring around her finger she slid them out, glancing away from the man for a brief moment to unlock her car.

A moment was all he needed.

In an instant, he was in front of her, long fingers wrapping around her wrist, spinning her into his chest. "You couldn't, but the Flash could," he hissed into her ear. His other arm pressed against her throat, cutting off her air before she could scream. Pulling against the hand on her wrist, Caitlin shoved her arm down, her elbow slamming into his ribs. He grunted into the back of her neck, his arm pressing harder against her throat.

Air was quickly becoming her main priority. Caitlin clawed at his arm in an attempt to dislodge his grip. His hold slacked just enough for her to suck in a greedy breath as a wet rag was slapped against her parted lips. Chemical-infused air burned its way down her throat. "That's it, Dr. Snow," he whispered into her ear, releasing her neck and locking his arm around her waist as she began to slump against him. A breathy chuckle escaped his lips.

"Deep breaths, doll. Deep breaths."

* * *

Barry arrived back at S.T.A.R. Labs around four. They'd be testing the tachyon enhancer soon. As he entered the monitoring centre, Cisco span in his chair to face him, his face falling when he saw who it was. "Aw man, just you. Where are my burgers?"

Barry's brows scrunched in confusion. "Caitlin's not back yet? I thought she left just after me."

"She did. Said something about dropping by her place if her USB wasn't in her car- I think she needs it for this afternoon's test- but I didn't think she'd take _this_ long."

"It's not like Caitlin to run late without telling us." Barry took a step back. "Maybe I should go check-"

"Naw, don't worry, she probably just fell asleep or something. You saw how tired she looked this morning." Cisco gave him a pointed look.

"Yeah." Barry ran a hand over his face. "I think Zoom's been keeping her awake."

"Exactly." Cisco span to face the monitors again. "She probably wound up getting some unintentional shut-eye, woke up late and is rushing to get lunch and get back here right now."

Barry leaned against the desk. "Maybe, but don't you think she'd call or something to let us know?"

Cisco chucked. "Not if she accidently fell asleep. Cait prides herself on being on time. If someone else made her late? Sure, she'll call. But if she's why she's late? Uh-uh. She'll waltz in here like she planned it that way." Barry didn't look convinced. Cisco sighed. "She's fine, man. I know with," he gestured emptily "-everything lately it can be hard to not jump to conclusions, but she's alright. We all have distress switches if anything goes wrong. She's okay."

Restless, Barry pushed off the desk. "But-"

"Kay, dude- I have trackers on everyone's cars, okay? And look," Cisco brought up a map of central city, where four red dots pulsed. "See, I'm here," he gestured to the dot hovering over S.T.A.R. Labs, "Iris is at home, Joe's on the move, and Caitlin-" a few quick taps zoomed them into her location. "Caitlin's at Beaufort Plaza getting us lunch," he announced triumphantly, pointing to where the marker hovered. "See? Just like I said."

Pushing down his paranoia, Barry sighed. "Yeah."

"Alright then!" Cisco clapped his hands together. "Let's get tachyon testing!"

"We're not waiting for Caitlin?" Barry asked.

"No," Cisco answered. "Storm's moving in. We wanted to run the test before then. I can monitor your stats and record them for her to analyze later."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Cisco shrugged. "It'll be easy. If anything turns red I'll know to tell you to stop."

"Funny."

Cisco grinned. "I always am. Alright go get-" Barry vanished in a gust of wind before reappearing in a blink, fully dressed as the Flash. "-changed." Cisco finished lamely. "I hate it when you do that."

Barry grinned. "I know you do." He slipped the tachyon accelerator behind his emblem. "So where am I starting?"

* * *

The storm clouds rolled closer as Barry sped to his starting position on the outskirts of the city near the railway that led to Star City. He could almost feel the charge of electricity in the air. "Must be a speedster thing," he murmured to himself, braking sharply as he arrived at his starting point.

"Alright, Cisco, I'm here." He would be doing two laps around the city before heading back to S.T.A.R labs. He hoped he had gotten faster since their last try.

"How's the storm look out there?" Cisco asked.

"It's building- moving fast," Barry answered, squinting up at the sky. "We might just have time for this one run if you don't want it to factor in."

"Alright," Cisco replied. "Tachyon enhancer's on?"

"Yep. Hey, don't forget to run that scan for the cream formula," he reminded. He'd told Cisco about the potential Dollmaker copycat before leaving. He wanted to find the guy before he turned Central City into a morbid art gallery.

"Already started on that. I'll let you know what I find." He double checked Barry's stats. "Alright, on three."

Barry crouched slightly, readying himself.

"One, two-" With a low drone, the computers at S.T.A.R labs suddenly shut off. "Wait, Barry hold up," Cisco touched the wireless comm at his ear as the screens crackled back to life, a man with thin brown hair grinning maniacally from the monitors. And behind him-

"Cisco?" Barry questioned.

"Get to a screen- now!"

Barry was in front of an electronics store in a flash. The flat screen TVs on display streamed live footage of the person who was clearly the copycat Barry had been looking for. But it was the wide-eyed woman strapped to the elevated gurney behind the man that made his stomach roll. "Caitlin," he breathed. "No, no, no, no, no….."

"Cisco!" he barked into the comm.

"Working on it. I'm tracking her phone. She always has it on her."

On the screen, the man who introduced himself as Felix Callister continued his rant on the injustice of Barton Mathis' death, claiming a gifted artist had never gotten the chance to meet his true potential with the medium of flesh. He raged against the Arrow and law enforcers for destroying what few pieces of "art" Mathis had managed to create.

"But that won't happen here, no, no, no," Felix assured. He backed up to where Caitlin was, taking the video camera with him. "I have picked a _special_ candidate for my first doll, haven't I, Flash? Isn't she just perfect?" he leered, running a finger down her neck. She flinched away, glaring daggers at him. "I'd ask her if she wanted to speak, but as you can see, her mouth's a little…full, at the moment," he grinned, gesturing to the tube that would feed the polymer down Caitlin's throat. With the camera closer, Barry could see the dark bruising beginning spread along her neck. A growl escaped his throat. _He had hurt her._

Walking to a table nearby, Felix picked up a large beaker of greyish liquid.

"Cisco."

"Almost there," he said, terse, trying to ignore the live stream as Caitlin's struggles increased. He knew tracking her phone was a long shot, but there was no time to back trace the signal to see where the video was streaming from, especially when he was piggybacking off a main server. He had minutes at best. Less. "Come on, come on, come on…."

"So here's the deal Flash," he continued as he casually removed the beaker's covering. "I have no ultimatum. There's nothing you can to do to stop this from happening. The only thing I wanted was one of your helpers for my little lesson, and I have one. So all you have to do," he began to pour the liquid down the canister connected to the tube. "-is learn."

"Cisco!"

"I got 'em!" he declared. "They're in a lone cabin east of the badlands, 35 miles from the city."

In a burst of speed, Barry raced out of the city, quadrupling his normal speed in seconds. Around him, thunder rumbled as the sky broke, slapping rain onto Earth in violent sheets. Sighting the cabin, Barry didn't slow his pace. Instead, he phased through the walls just in time to see the liquid reach the top of the tube. Darting across the cabin, he shoved Felix away from Caitlin and pulled the tube from her throat, simultaneously freeing her from her restraints.

"Okay?" he questioned, panting as he helped her off the gurney.

"Yeah," she breathed, coughing to ensure she hadn't taken in the polymer.

Barry turned to face Felix as he staggered up from the table he'd crashed into, stepping in front of Caitlin protectively.

"Aww, it looks like I won't get my pretty doll after all," Felix pouted, clucking his tongue in mock disappointment. "Oh, well, good thing plan B was my plan A!"

"What are you talking about?" Barry demanded.

With a grin, Felix drew a detonator from his coat, his thumb already pressing down on the activation switch. "Fifteen seconds until this cabin goes nuclear!" he cackled. "You can't outrun death this time Flash! But go ahead and try. Run, Flash," he howled. _"RUN!"_

Barry swept Caitlin into his arms and tore out of the cabin, racing further into the badlands. Vaguely, he registered Cisco's shouts in his ear and Caitlin's ragged breaths.

 _10…9…_

He broke the sound barrier.

 _8...7….6…_

He cleared the badlands, barely managing to right himself as he slipped on the saturated earth.

 _5….4…._

He wasn't dying today.

 _Faster._

 _3…2…_

He wasn't losing anyone else.

 _1..._

 _ **Faster!**  
_

The blast ripped through the earth, the shock wave from the force of it slamming into him. Barry struggled to maintain his footing as he tried to use its force to aid his momentum. The hulking cloud of debris rumbled towards him. Heat clawed at his back. Caitlin tightened her grip.

With an inhuman roar, Barry summoned a final burst of speed in a last attempt to escape the crushing heat.

 _Come on, come on, come on…_

A sudden flash of light obscured his vision. Stumbling, he crashed to the ground, instinctively curling around Caitlin to protect her from the rolling assault.

Tumbling to a halt, Barry scrambled to regain his footing. He had to keep going. He had to get them away-

Barry froze.

It was _silent._

He blinked, taking in his surroundings. The sky was clear except for a few cirrus clouds, and peacock blue. Hills rolled before him, dotted with greenery. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair. A hawk flew in lazy circles high above.

"What?" Barry ran a hand through his hair, the whispered question falling from his lips in disbelief. Had he run them clear across the country? Had he gone back in time? Or had he… _no._

Caitlin slowly rose from where she had been sprawled beside him, confusion twisting her features. "Barry? Exactly how far did you run?"

"I'm trying to figure that out." Pressing a finger to the comm at his ear, Barry tried to contact Cisco. Static hummed across the line. "Oh, no," he murmured twisting around to take in his surroundings once again.

 _Caitlin's gonna be_ so _ticked._

"Barry?" Caitlin prompted.

"Well," linking his hands behind his head, Barry backed up a few steps, grinning guiltily. "I'd have to find Supergirl to know for sure, but I may have run a little…out of this world."

"Supergirl?" Caitlin stepped closer, suspicion lacing her tone. "Barry, what are you talking about?"

Before he could answer, another blinding flash split the sky accompanied by an angry, bone- chilling shriek. From the spinning recesses of the portal above a skeletal, smoky figure emerged. Pale, pasty flesh plastered over its gaunt frame, disappearing into the inky blackness that made up its lower half.

A Time Wraith.

With a hiss it pounced on Barry, garbled growls leaving its throat. Caitlin watched helplessly as it tackled Barry to the ground. A fist landed a crushing blow to his chest, cracking his emblem and stealing the air from his lungs. A skeletal hand locked around his throat, tightening and Barry felt it again- the horrible suctioning of the speedforce ripping free from his cells. Grasping at the hand on his neck, Barry struggled in spite of the weakness spreading over him like a blanket. Life itself seemed to be leaving his body.

Above them, a shadow briefly eclipsed the sun before thudding down across from them. Concentrated heat shot from the newcomer's eyes into the heart of the Time Wraith. With a howl it released Barry, twisting away to avoid the scalding heat. It hovered for a moment, its head tilted, seemingly in thought, before disappearing through the portal with a final wail.

Barry sat up slightly and tugged off his mask, nodding to Caitlin in answer when she asked if he was okay. He struggled to catch his breath as a pair of red boots approached him. Squinting against the sun, he peeked up at the cape-clad blonde standing over him.

"Barry! It's good to see you again. And you brought a friend!" she grinned.

"Looks like I saved _you_ this time," she said with a smirk. "I thought you said there were no aliens on your Earth?"

With a groan, Barry flopped back onto the ground, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes to still the sudden ache in his temples. He could _feel_ the heat of Caitlin's glare burning into him.

"Hey, Kara."

* * *

 **Feedback is much appreciated, so please review!**

 **Also, if you have any favourite villains from Supergirl's world, let me know. I'll look them up and they might end up in future chapters.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


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